Friday, November 02, 2007
Ken Arnold's Plan for Transmitting Energy and Communications on Railroad Rights-of-Way
THE RAILROAD RIGHT OF WAY ACT
BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM: America is within an energy crisis. It’s a crisis of many facets. And it threatens our national security, our economy, and perhaps even our very lives. Unfortunately, in the past, our country has had far too short of memory in this area. The current crisis is the THIRD one we have experienced since the 1970s. It can only be hoped that we learn from this one and install PERMANENT and long-lasting solutions that will prevent future generations from facing similar threats.
Among the many facets to solve this energy crisis are several original and creative solutions that Ken Arnold has developed – well before the current crisis. The one this paper outlines concerns the TRANSPORTATION of energy as well as our communication links within this country that also directly relate to our economy and our national security.
Within energy, is the challenge of transporting both the raw product and the refined product to all major markets within our country. Increasingly, with the continued urbanization of America, land prices are escalating nationwide. And when planning routes for such energy/communications transportation infrastructure as electric high tension lines, oil and natural gas pipelines, and crude oil pipelines; there is an increasing problem to find right-of-way that will both efficiently get between point A and point B as well as be reasonably cost efficient. And this says nothing about the occasional resistance of acquiring new land from the “Not In My Back Yard” (NIMBY) syndrome…
ANALYSIS AND SOLUTION:
A perfect opportunity and solution to the above problems exists under our very noses: Abandoned railroad right-of-ways! These right of ways:
1) Are frequently between major metropolitan areas. They were abandoned due to redundancy and other factors.
2) Were, in many cases, originally deeded BY the Federal government itself for the purpose of expanding railroads during the 1800s. An argument can be made that if they’re now abandoned, they can revert back to being Federal lands.
3) Are wide enough to provide an “energy and communication corridor” for a MULTIPLE of uses. One could have gasoline and natural gas pipelines underground, high tension electric lines overhead, and a walking/biking trail at the surface – all along the same right of way!
These “ribbons of public opportunity” as candidate Arnold calls them, are unfortunately being stolen from the people as we speak! Since the 1980’s, far too many have been stolen by private citizens under the medieval common law principle of “adverse possession”. This is basically “squatter’s rights”. These individuals purposely fence off or otherwise occupy land which they did not have rights to occupy. And after a statutory number of years (which varies by State but typically is seven years), THE LAND IS THEIRS! Our “ribbons of public opportunity” are therefore today being cut to shreds by a hodgepodge of breaks within the line from these unfortunate and devious actions. All this occurring with NO KNOWLEDGE by the general public and no action (so far) by public officials!
As future generations of Americans – perhaps 100 years from now – look back, they will ask: “Why didn’t they preserve our heritage when they had a chance!” Unstopped and undeveloped; future generations of Americans will have to redevelop, replan and redo that which we let pass into oblivion. WE MUST NOT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN. We must stop this “legal theft” and apply these railroad right-of-ways in new and creative ways.
To implement this solution requires just a few simple steps at the Federal level:
1) Enact a Federal law that declares that all abandoned railroad right of ways that connect to, or traverse interstate lines become the property of the Federal government upon abandonment. This essentially stops and freezes all additional land thefts on a going-forward basis.
2) Establish a panel to study future needs for right of ways relative to all currently abandoned right-of-ways. This would be a “hundred-year plan” based upon current and projected demographic and economic projections. And such study would then identify the national right-of-ways that are MOST in need for uninterrupted preservation.
3) With the “roadmap” established in step number two, authorize the U.S. Park Service to methodically go back to such right-of-ways to clear out all fences and other encumbrances placed upon such land. Those who previously took the land under adverse possession who wish to press a claim may do so – and be compensated according to the likely or potential use such possessor would have deployed the property in before such action of repossession was taken by the Federal Government. [It is likely that only a small percentage of such individuals would even press a claim due to their embarrassment in taking the land in the first place as well as the low value such small strip of land would have had it been deployed by such person before these Federal actions.]
ADVANTAGES:
With the above steps taken, and the reclaiming of the land back to the Federal government, we the people could then ensure - for all future generations to come - useful and vital “corridors of opportunity” for such future Americans to use as they see fit.
The Federal government would deploy such corridors anytime for such uses as:
| A) Gasoline pipelines | E) Crude oil pipelines |
| B) Overhead, electric, high tension lines | F) Natural Gas pipelines |
| C) Chemical pipelines | G) Walking, riding, or bicycle trails at ground level. |
| D) Fiber Optic Communication cable pipelines | H) Overhead, telephone and other communication lines. |
What a marvelous testament this would be to American ingenuity. Taking something intended and used for one purpose (i.e. railroad transportation) and applying it in new and ingenious ways never originally foreseen long ago! And in the process, this initiative can greatly aid in our energy security, help in reducing air pollution (i.e. communications, natural gas pipelines, and alternative transportation routes), greatly enhance our economy, and even provide valuable recreational avenues for the common citizen.
Future generations of Americans will either thank us for our foresight and ingenuity - or condemn us for our lack of insight and indifference should we fail to take the initiative here and reclaim the heritage of these railroad right of ways – public “ribbons of opportunity” in Ken Arnold’s eyes.
The decision is ours to make…
Ken Arnold – Republican Candidate
U.S. Congress – 8th District of Illinois
January 13, 2006 - Updated November, 2007
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| Just one example of many of an abandoned, railroad right of way that someone has now placed a fence across to attempt to then claim as their property under the legal argument of “adverse possession”. Stop the theft! Stop the taking away of the public’s future with these right of ways! Enact the Railroad Right-of-Way Act NOW! |
Labels: 8th Congressional District, Ken Arnold, Railroad Right of Way
